The present invention relates to a device for automatically connecting electric conductors with contact parts and connector shells between a cable-processing station with a stepwise progressively advancing transfer module and a gripper system with at least one industrial robot. A robot gripper is disposed at the industrial robot and is movable in all directions. A further rotatable transfer module exhibits a double gripper, gripping the two ends of an electric conductor with an outer gripper pair and an inner gripper pair, respectively, and at least one centering device and at least one fixed separator element.
2. Brief Description of the Background of the Invention Including Prior Art
A device for the mounting of electric conductors with contact parts in connector shells has been taught, for example, in the German Patent Application Laid Open DE-OS No. 2,740,377. This device is a so-called rigidly chained system where a crimp device is combined with a plug device. The gripper is moved by two piston cylinder units acting perpendicular relative to each other. The tensioning station is actuated by a further piston cylinder unit for a connector shell. The connector shell itself and further actuating and support means are in an interdependent, rigid relation. The interdependent relation is dependent on the construction and on the predetermined motion path of the device. A flexible mounting of desired contact parts with conductors in arbitrary connector shells is not possible with the taught reference device.
A process and such a device for an automatic mounting of electric conductors with contact parts in connectors shells has furthermore been taught in the European Patent Publication No. EP No. 0,348,615 (based on the Swiss Patent Application CH No. 02,524/88-6) over which the instant invention represents an improvement. The Swiss Patent Application teaches a process and a device where the connectors shells are mounted by a robot gripper to the ends of a completely processed cable, and where the ends of the completely processed cable are gripped by a double gripper at the end of a cable processing station. Both ends of the cable are gripped with a double gripper, where the front part of the double gripper grips at the connector contact and the rear part of the gripper grips at the insulation of the cable. Both grippers of the double gripper can be controlled independent of each other. For the mounting of the connector shells, both grippers of the double gripper are closed and support the end of the cable in the mounting and/or insertion direction of the connector shell. The connector shells are held by one gripper of a robot arm and are in each case cyclically mounted at the end of a cable. The mounting force is captured by a sensor disposed at a robot gripper in order to detect defective parts at the connector contact or at the connector shell and to exclude an erroneous mounting. If no errors or deficiencies are found, the front part of the double gripper is opened and is spread outwardly and the connector shells is completely mounted onto the end of the cable with the aid of the robot arm. The perfect mounting of the mounted cable connection is checked by a separating motion of the robot arm. The separating motion of the robot arm is monitored by a further sensor disposed at the robot gripper. The pivoting motion of the robot gripper serves to bring the mounted cable under a deflector in order to free the connector for the mounting onto the end of a cable newly gripped by the double gripper.
One disadvantage of this mounting device is that the robot gripper becomes heavy due to the mounting of both sensors and this impedes the required high precision of its motions. It is a further disadvantage that the time requirement for the necessary robot motions for connecting and mounting of the connector shells to one end of a cable, for the monitoring of the mounting force and the separating force, and for the deflection of the cable connected with the connector shell, is larger than the cycle time of the cable-processing line. This disadvantage reduces the capacity of the cable-processing line.
In the process of assembling and automatically connecting electrical conductors with contact parts to connector shells, it is required to center such items relative to each other such that a proper insertion can be performed. The European Patent Application, Publication No. 0,041,332 to Kunitada Tominoi, teaches an apparatus for a method of inserting terminals into an electrical connector housing.
The SMC Corporation commercially distributes in Switzerland two-finger parallel grippers and two-finger angle grippers which are actuated pneumatically. The company issues a flyer relating, for example, to the models MHC20D, MHP25D, and others, which can be used to provide gripping. Mounting more than one of such grippers of the SMC Corporation to a single frame results in multiple grippers, such as double grippers.
The inductive proximity switches, which have been disclosed, are commercially sold by GERHARD BALLUFF & CO., Postfach 1159, D-7303 Neuhausen, Federal Republic of Germany. Such inductive proximity switches are useful in determining the approach of moving elements.